According to a survey released jointly by Witeck-Combs Communications and Harris Interactive(r) only 70% of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) adults said they had health insurance coverage, compared to 86% of non-gay adults. The gap in insurance for LGBT employees exist because most employers in the U.S. do not offer health insurance for LGBT partners (domestic partner benefits).
Even when employers offer domestic partner benefits, many LGBT employees do not apply for them because revealing their sexual orientation puts them at risk of anti-gay bias. Another potential cause for the gap may be because many LGBT people are un- or underemployed because of discrimination in the workplace. "In every survey of Americans of employment age, the number one access point for health insurance is through employee benefits for workers employed full-time. For LGBT Americans, obtaining that benefit is often problematic," said Kathleen DeBold, Executive Director of the Mautner Project. "Discrimination against LGBT Americans only increases the already horrific numbers of the uninsured."